blues

Microsoft posts details of next Windows Phone 8 update

Microsoft is starting to open up a bit on what Windows Phone 8 users can expect with the next version of its Windows Phone 8 operating system, known as "GDR2."

On May 14, company officials shared a couple of the expected GDR (General Distribution Release) 2 features in a blog post that was primarily about the new Lumia 925 phone Nokia unveiled today. That phone, code-named Catwalk, is due out in June on Vodafone and some time after that on T-Mobile. It is Nokia's first lighter-weight, aluminum-body Lumia.

Microsoft's supposed plan, according to my tipsters, is … Read more

The one thing that could save Windows 8

Microsoft Windows 8 has confused users and disappointed the PC industry. Windows Chief Marketing Officer Tami Reller all but admitted it last week. She also foreshadowed that help is on the way in Windows Blue. She confirmed that this Windows 8 update -- which will soon get a prosaic product name like "Windows 8.1" -- will be previewed for users this summer and will go live in the fall.

While it's rumored that the Blue update will reinstate the much-missed Start menu and allow users to boot into the Desktop mode, it's highly unlikely Microsoft … Read more

NEC laptop is one of the first with Intel's 'Haswell' chip

NEC has apparently jumped the gun, releasing the full specs of a laptop based on Intel's 4th Generation Core processor, aka, Haswell.

That processor, along with a crush of new systems, is slated for rollout on June 3 at Computex in Taiwan.

But NEC is talking specs already in Japan.

In addition to the Haswell chip (about which NEC provided little additional data), the LaVie L will sport a 15.6-inch IPS touch screen (1,920x1,080 resolution), 8GB of memory, 1TB hard drive with a 32GB solid-state drive cache, Windows 8, and Microsoft Office Home and Business.

The … Read more

Microsoft responds to 'extreme' Windows 8 criticism

Microsoft appreciates the feedback on Windows 8. Up to a point.

"There is a trend to the extreme," Frank X. Shaw, corporate vice president of corporate communications at Microsoft, wrote on The Official Microsoft Blog on Friday, addressing some of the harsher attacks.

Here's a fuller quote:

In this world where everyone is a publisher, there is a trend to the extreme -- where those who want to stand out opt for sensationalism and hyperbole over nuanced analysis. In this world where page views are currency, heat is often more valued than light. Stark black-and-white caricatures are … Read more

GamePop looks to play in Ouya's sandbox

If you're BlueStacks, the startup that figured out how to bring Android apps to Windows and Macs with its eponymous app player, the next logical step is to upend the mobile gaming market with a console and subscription service called GamePop, the company announced Thursday.

As CNET reported at CES 2013, GamePop is BlueStacks' Android-powered console that lets you not only play Android games on your TV, but also lets you use your phone or tablet as the controller.

GamePop preorders are available immediately at GamePop.tv, with consoles shipping this winter. As of today, the console ships with … Read more

Intel chip gives new hope for Windows 8 tablets

Analysts are upbeat about Intel's new mobile chip design due later this year. That could mean a much-needed boost for Windows 8 tablets -- where many of those chips will land.

Imagine this: an ultraslim, light tablet with roughly twice the performance of any Atom-based Windows 8 tablet on the market now. (And that's the full version of Windows, not Windows RT.)

That could happen in the second half of this year.

So think of Windows Blue (or Windows 8.1) products similar to Samsung's 0.38-inch thick ATIV Smart PC 500T Tablet or Dell's 0.… Read more

Review: BlueStacks for Mac lets OS X users run Android devices on their desktop

Google's Android platform has grown exceptionally well over the years, with tons of new apps added to the Google Play store every day. BlueStacks for Mac offers a solution for users who want to download and enjoy their favorite Android apps on their Mac, too.

BlueStacks for Mac comes as free software that is supported by ads. Download takes a bit longer as the app is 112MB in size. The installation, however, is quick and easy. After the installation process completes, users can start searching for their favorite apps using the search bar or browse though more than 750,… Read more

Windows Blue preview to hit in late June, Microsoft exec says

NEW YORK--Users will get a preview of Windows Blue in late June, a Microsoft executive said Tuesday.

Julie Larson-Green, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Windows, said a public preview of the update to the Windows 8 operating system will be available in time for Microsoft's developers' conference next month.

She declined to provide many details about Windows Blue, the codename for the update, but she said it will enable device makers to create products with smaller screen sizes. She added that despite some reports, Windows Blue won't have any major changes from Windows 8.

"We're … Read more

Windows Start button could make a comeback, Microsoft exec says

NEW YORK--The Windows Start button could make a comeback in future versions of the software, Microsoft's head of Windows confirmed Tuesday.

Julie Larson-Green, corporate vice president of Windows at Microsoft, said the company is having "meaningful discussions" about bringing certain older features of the Microsoft's operating system to Windows 8. That could include a Start button that remains on the screen.

However, she said Microsoft believes "fully in the start screen and model of having live tiles and access to everything you want in a glance."

"The Start menu was never built for … Read more

Microsoft to reveal Windows Blue pricing, availability soon

Up until now, Microsoft's official pronouncements about Windows Blue have been few and far between.

But the informational floodgates are going to open in the next couple of weeks or so, said Tami Reller, chief financial officer of the Windows client division at Microsoft.

During my interview with her at the Microsoft New York City headquarters on Monday, Reller outlined Microsoft's disclosure plans for the next version of Windows, codenamed Blue. Here's what Reller would -- and wouldn't -- say about Blue:

Reller said the Windows team will share pricing, packaging, and go-to-market details about Blue … Read more